ALEXANDRIA, Va. (REUTERS) — American al Qaeda fighter John Walker Lindh, dirty and disheveled when captured in Afghanistan, stood peacefully in a U.S. court on Thursday with newly shaved head bowed as outside his parents said he “loves America” and did not conspire to kill his countrymen.

Flanked by lawyers and guards and dressed in a green prisoner jumpsuit, his hair closely cut and beard shaved, the 20-year-old said quietly, “I understand,” when the four charges against him were read at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va.

Lindh was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiring to kill Americans abroad and providing support to terrorist groups including Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network, blamed by Washington for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States that killed more than 3,000 people.

He was also accused of engaging in prohibited transactions with the deposed Taliban government that harbored bin Laden.

The Californian, who converted to Islam as a teenager, has not yet been formally charged by a grand jury and was not asked to enter a plea at Thursday’s appearance. But outside court his father proclaimed his son’s innocence.

“John loves America. We love America. John did not do anything against America,” Frank Lindh said.

“He did not take up arms against America,” he said. “He never meant to harm any American, and he never did harm any American. John is innocent of these charges.”

Next court date: Feb. 6

After reading him his rights and accepting his attorneys, Magistrate Judge W. Curtis Sewell ordered Lindh held in detention until his Feb. 6 preliminary and detention hearings.

The Californian has been referred to by the Americanized name “John Walker” since his capture in Afghanistan in December. But his attorney, James Brosnahan, corrected the judge when he called him “Mr. Walker,” referring to him instead as “Mr. Lindh.” Brosnahan’s spokeswoman said later Lindh, whose mother’s surname is Walker and father’s is Lindh, should be called “John Lindh.”

Sewell read aloud a summary of the charges, and federal prosecutor David Kelley listed the maximum sentences that he could face. If convicted, Lindh could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Lindh stood silently at the podium, his head down and arms by his sides, as he listened to the charges and possible penalties.

Lindh abandons beard, long hair

Lindh’s parents were in the courtroom but their son did not appear to look for them when he entered and left the room.

After leaving the courtroom, his parents said they were happy to see him in good physical condition.

Marilyn Walker, who appeared tense and pale in court, said she had not seen her son for a long time.

“It’s been two years since I last saw my son. It was wonderful to see him this morning,” she said. “I am grateful to God that he has been brought home to his family, me, his home, his country.”

Lindh’s appearance was a far cry from the unkempt hair and long beard he sported when arrested in Afghanistan.

Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke told reporters Lindh had asked the U.S. military to shave his head and beard only days before he returned to the United States.

She said she did not know if the captive gave a reason for wanting to get rid of the facial hair. Beards were required in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

Lindh arrived in the Washington area aboard a military plane Wednesday evening under tight security.

Security was also tight at the courthouse, where Zacarias Moussaoui, the first man indicted in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks, will also be tried.

Differing views

Brosnahan noted in court that Lindh had only just been told of the charges against him, and that he had been held for 54 days without being able to consult a lawyer, although he had asked for one within a few days of being captured.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft said Lindh waived his rights to an attorney.

“John [Lindh] chose to join the terrorists who wanted to kill Americans, and he chose to waive his right to an attorney, both orally and in writing, before his statement to the FBI,” Ashcroft said Thursday.

Ashcroft did not give a direct answer when asked if he thought it was fair that Lindh was held for 54 days without access to a lawyer.

Lindh was interrogated while being held captive and most recently was held aboard the U.S. warship Bataan in the Arabian Sea. He was taken there from a prison outside the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, where an uprising occurred.

Lindh’s parents have helped retain a five-man team of lawyers for their son, including four former federal prosecutors.

Brosnahan complained that federal officials were issuing misleading statements and said they violated the rules of the Alexandria courthouse.

“It is time finally for this outrageous and unfair situation to change,” he said. “It’s time for John Walker Lindh to have his day in court.”